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Are you too young to be using an eye cream?

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The short answer: probably not.

Like many women, I never thought about anti-aging until I started seeing wrinkles on my face, but according to Dr. Frauke Neuser, Principal Scientist for Olay, women should be taking preventative measures against aging as early as 25 – and it should start with your eyes.

ALSO SEE: The 10 Best Eye Creams to Tackle Wrinkles

Karen Grant, a Global Beauty Industry Analyst for the NDP Group recently presented the findings of a study on beauty consumption. What they discovered was that women were spending a lot of money on products used to enhance the look of eyes – particularly concealer and mascara – but that very few were using skincare products that actually addressed this area. In fact, women were two times more likely to use a lip treatment or anti-aging cream on their face and neck than they were to use an eye cream. Of those who did use eye creams, a quarter of them were only using the product once a day offering limited results.

According to Neuser, your eyes can age up to 20 years faster than the rest of the face, which can go a long way in making you look much older (or younger) than you actually are.

ALSO SEE: 6 absolutely free ways to get younger looking skin

“There are four different kinds of eye issues,” she says. “ There are wrinkles and crows feet, dark circles, sagging, bags and puffiness. Each type has a different cause that requires a different type of treatment.”

With this in mind, Olay recently launched a five piece collection of eye creams designed to address each type as well as an overall eye cream for those without specific needs.

When should you start thinking about eye cream?

As early as possible, Neuser tells Yahoo Canada.

“You likely already have some sort of skincare regime in your 20s but by your mid-20s you’ll start to notice your skin changing,” Neuser explains. “At that point, the one thing you probably want to add is an eye cream.”

“And it’s crazy how few people do.”

She explains that there’s a stigma with eye cream being a problem solution rather than a preventative measure. “We wait until we have the problem,” she explains. “And then we want it to be gone overnight rather than understanding that prevention is so much more effective.”

Is it possible to reverse the signs of aging?

Yes, she says.

“It’s never too late. But you have to realize that you’re never going to catch up with someone who started when they were younger – but it will still make a difference.”

First off, she suggests using a sunscreen to prevent new damage and then trying to target what kind of eye issue you have, be it wrinkles, dark circles, sagging, bags or puffiness to determine what ingredients you should be looking for in an eye cream.

Important ingredients

“All of the Olay creams have glycerine and niacinamide for moisturization and barrier-building,” she says.

For more preventative anti-aging, she suggests Olay Eyes Ultimate Eye Cream, which contains antioxidants and peptides that really boost collagen production. It also has colour-correcting technology, which uses a tint to give the eye area a bit of freshness.

“Retinol is the best wrinkle-fighter,” she says, so if you start noticing wrinkles or crow’s feet around the eyes, reach for something containing retinol.

If you’re looking to firm up the eye area, she suggests a serum containing allantoin and olive oil carboxylate, which are both naturally derived ingredients that are antioxidant and help prevent the breakdown that happens through free-radical damage.

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“Light-reflecting technology is perfect for dark circles and uses acetyl glucosamine, niacinamide and pentylene glycol. Those three ingredients tackle both types of dark circles over time to reduce their darkness and even out the skin tone.”

Lastly, she suggests trying out a roller.

“This is unique in that it has a massaging applicator and also contains caffeine, which helps restrict the blood flow into that area so once you’ve depuffed it, it doesn’t come straight back up.”

How often should you apply eye cream?

“Really, once a day as a minimum but if you can apply twice that’s much more ideal,” Neuser says. “Some creams are more conducive to being used in the morning she explains, but for something like retinol, you may want to put it on just before bed.

Why is eye cream so expensive?

It doesn’t have to be, she says.

“I don’t think you need to spend hundreds of dollars,” Nauser says. “You’ll see things like black orchid extract, that will make a product sound more sexy (and add $20 to the price) but it doesn’t necessarily add $20 of value.”

“It’s important to understand the products that really give you value and performance for the price.”

Are you using an eye cream? Let us know by tweeting to @YahooStyleCA.